WASHINGTON  Ted Cruz and Mike Lee stand as the Senates dynamic duo for conservatives, crusading against President Barack Obamas health care law while infuriating many congressional Republicans with a tactic they consider futile, self-serving and detrimental to the partys political hopes in 2014.

Cruz, the Texan whos been anything but a wait-your-turn freshman, and Lee, the tea party-backed giant slayer from Utahs 2010 election, spent months this summer pressuring Republicans to link any stopgap spending bill to keep the government running with permanently starving President Barack Obamas health overhaul of money.

The two former Supreme Court clerks are determined to reverse what the conservative court of Chief Justice John Roberts upheld in 2012  Obamas signature domestic law.

The senators scored a win Friday when the Republican-led House, pushed by rambunctious rank-and-file members, passed a spending measure that would unravel the law. But the approach faces near-certain defeat in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where lawmakers in both parties complain that Cruz and Lee have pushed a losing cause.

In the meantime, their strategy has roiled many in the GOP, with plenty of public and private carping. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, subtly challenged Cruz and Lee to back up their words next week.

I expect my Senate colleagues to be up for the battle, Boehner said.

Several Republicans complain that the tactic could lead to a government shutdown on Oct. 1, the start of the new budget year, that would undercut the GOP politically...

Wrong, wrong, wrong on all counts. Reid's senate will never go along with Republicans. That's a given. But the senate doesn't even matter on this one, nor does Obama. The strategy is to have the Republican controlled House NOT fund Obamacare under any circumstances whatsoever.

They must reject whatever the senate sends back to them that enables Obamacare to go forward. Then they should begin passing bills to fund the legitimate and essential departments of government, one at a time. If Reid and Obama block each one, you just continue with the next one. Let Obama/Reid say hell no we will not fund the military. Or whichever department the house chooses to fund next. Keep rejecting the senate's obnoxious attempts to amend the bills. The people will understand who the villains really are.

But at the same time, remind the people over and over again that Obama/Reid cannot unilaterally block military pay, or social security checks, or medicare payments, or funding for the post office, or the courts, or the air traffic controllers or any other "essential" government service. If Obama/Reid carry through with THEIR threats to shutdown the government, the main thing that will happen are a whole bunch of federal employees will get laid off. Big deal.

The Republican House controls the purse strings per the constitution. Draw them up taut!!

Let Obama/Reid howl like the petulant spoiled children they are.

If the House Republicans hold the line they will be heroes to the American people and the Republicans will be swept into office in landslide victories in 2014.

If they listen to Tokyo Rove and the GOP-e statists and cave, they fail. If they go ahead and fund Obamacare after the majority of the people have told them not to, then I sure as hell would not expect them to be re-elected.

Several Republicans complain that the tactic could lead to a government shutdown on Oct. 1...

Complain? Most real Republicans will cheer. These cowards need to get a clue. Only Democrat moochers get upset by a government shutdown when their snouts hit the dry bottom of the public trough. Shut the stinking thing DOWN.

The House must not fund obamacare for any reason. It doesn’t matter what the Senate sends back.

We can’t afford the dollar cost, it’s a lousy plan that doesn’t work, it gets the government between doctor and patient, it makes employees of our doctors, it gets the government’s nose into your most personal issues, and it’s final result is the government running your health care just like the commies ran the health care of the Russians for decades, pushing the late middle aged to early death, so there’d be little elderly population to support.

In short, it is of the Devil, himself.

So called GOPers like Rove, Hume, McCain, Corker, Alexander speak in the democratic talking points. Whenever you hear “shutting the government down”, then know that they are lying.

The Tea Party wants to FUND the government. Their bill funds the government. They don’t want to shut down the government. They want to get rid of a program that America hates — ObamaCare.

6
posted on 09/21/2013 11:56:20 AM PDT
by xzins
( Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who truly support our troops pray for victory!)

They are NOT REPUBLICANS. They are Marxists in every respect. The Constitution is meaningless to them and their primary desire to get re-elected. We the "People" are only a messy distraction. Any congress critter who departs from the Constitution should be summarily dropped from their position for failure to observe their oath. PERIOD!!!!

9
posted on 09/21/2013 11:59:45 AM PDT
by Don Corleone
("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")

I mean really, is anyone with half a brain listening to the Washington Post these days? Last week, we heard the Obamabots in the media and Democrat Party, aided by RINO traitors, tell us five hundred different plots of what was going to happen in the House!!! They were all wrong!!!

Just remember, media Obamabots....these numbers. 230-189, a slaughter, including two wise Democrats that voted with the Pubbies!!! Beating on Cruz and Lee, etc. ain’t gonna sway them one iota. Get it.....dudes and dames of the media....they don’t not give a damn what you either think or say!!! Unlike POTUS Obama, they are for the American people, their children and the American Republic...period!!!

And....so, good American folk that want your country back from Socialist, America Hater, Obama, and his cesspool Democrat, Obamabots, get on the internet to: WWW.DONTFUNDOBAMACARE.COM & then sign/endorse the Lee/Cruz defund Obamacare petiton...NOW!! Join the millions of loyal Americans that have already signed and endorsed it!!! THANK YOU!!!

I believe the Cruz/Lee plan is working! I was listening to the Larry Kudlow radio program this morning, and what a difference from last week! A week ago the RINOs on his show could not have been more negative towards the Defund effort. This week they were actually admitting the brilliance of the Defund move! Because of what the House has done, Obama and the Democrats are being forced to talk about Obamacare, the one issue they most wish would just disappear. Now the Republicans have to stand strong-—no cloture until every last Democrat is FORCED to vote for Obamacare again.

We need a list of names containing every single republican Senator that votes for cloture and then we work to primary those that are running in 2014 and to alienate and castigate those that will face the reaper in 2016. No more compromise with evil and communism.

Exactly correcto...we must keep up the pressure. I see this as a big win...and the senate Rs, half are scum, are forced to take a stand. Might get lucky and force some kind of vote.
The house is the key tho!

Amen. And if they hold the line, they cannot fail. Obama/Reid can howl until the cows come home. Life will go on and we’ll make some big corrections in 2014/2016.

If they cave and fund obamacare, then they’ve consented to the final destruction of the constitution and the end of individual liberty in America. Obamcare going forward effectively sets the precedent that there are no constitutional limits on government and that there is no constitutional privacy or security, no choice of free enterprise, no freedom. The government can force you to do whatever they wish, whenever they wish. And spy on you to ensure you don’t resist.

Apparently, Social Security and other routine benefit payments will continue normally although new benefit applications will be delayed. Aircraft will continue to fly, trains and buses will continue to do what they usually do and the Congress will continue to do what it does best, i.e., very little.

We need a list of names containing every single republican Senator that votes for cloture and then we work to primary those that are running in 2014 and to alienate and castigate those that will face the reaper in 2016. No more compromise with evil and communism.

Agree. We need a visible (sidebar or heading) thread where the Name and Shame Hall of Fame can be seen by all.

I believe this is what got Boehner - and other RINO's - to change their mind...they were publicly named (and shamed) by various conservative groups, for playing tricks with the 0Care Defunding.

And still no cave after the senate amends the bill and sends it back to the house. That’s the real strategy. The house must reject whatever the senate sends back that enables obamacare to go forward. Then they must send “clean” funding bills to fund each essential department, one by one. And reject what the senate sends back if they amend it. Do this all they way to 2014 if necessary. Hold the line! Defund obamacare!

Obama/Reid can try, but they cannot shutdown the essential government services. The government will go on, just cost less. Possibly a whole lot less.

The piecemeal fallback strategy is a good one. But perhaps Obama could also fund his healthcare takeover by selling more debt indirectly or directly to the Federal Reserve. Thus, the debt ceiling battle is also critical.

On the bottom of the dontfundobamacare petition there is a list of all of the Republcian US Senators, with phone numbers and categorized as “will pledge” , “won’t pledge” or it’s blank if they haven’t said anything yet. What they need is a few million calls and emails.

The Compost trying to give the Rove group more power than it has to mislead squishy RINO's.

Hold fast GOP, so far you're doing the right thing. Don't buckle, force the dems to defend an unpopular and destructive health care debacle. Make sure to remind everyone that it's the dems who would shut down the government over a law that will ruin our healthcare system and the economy plus ruin the future of our kids and grandkids.

Obamcare going forward effectively sets the precedent that there are no constitutional limits on government and that there is no constitutional privacy or security, no choice of free enterprise, no freedom. The government can force you to do whatever they wish, whenever they wish. And spy on you to ensure you dont resist.

Amen, Jim.

It is the initial shot in the final communist takeover of America.

31
posted on 09/21/2013 12:19:57 PM PDT
by xzins
( Retired Army Chaplain and Proud of It! Those who truly support our troops pray for victory!)

The fact that it infuriates them rather than inspires them to openly ally with the Democrats shows that they know a large part of the Republican electorate is against them. If this was 2014 and it was too late to primary them out they might try to run this through over Cruz, but they know the RINO hold over the party exists only because of the "...would you rather vote for a Democrat?" threat. They can't pull that this year because there will be primary threats.

34
posted on 09/21/2013 12:23:17 PM PDT
by KarlInOhio
(Why is our military going to be used as Al Qaeda's air force in Syria?)

I like the strategy, but I think they need to be prepared to go to the mattresses. That means smashing the debt ceiling. I don’t think either side really much cares if the government gets shut down for awhile. But their bankster cronies do care about getting paid.

If the debt ceiling is smashed, that’ll put dear leader in the position of having to decide who gets paid. It’s a safe bet that the banksters will get their interest payments. It’s also a safe bet that Federal employees and the military won’t get paid. Where it gets interesting is when he gets to decide if the social security recipients get paid or not or if the ghetto rats get their EBT cards plussed up or not.

You see, the other side counts on us always backing down and rolling over in time to do the “right thing.” I.e. to make sure the bills are paid. It’s time for the other side to worry about doing the “right thing” for once.

In the mean time, the other side needs to truly perceive us as lunatics who are willing to not only cross the line but giggle madly while we do it.

37
posted on 09/21/2013 12:34:49 PM PDT
by RKBA Democrat
(Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)

Oh it’s even worse than that. Don’t worry about deathcare if the gop caves. Worry about a lot of mightily pi$$ed off conservatives deciding that they not only don’t have a voice in DC, but that they shouldn’t waste any more time with it at all.

That doesn’t sound that bad. Until you consider that they will take this to the states, and national divorce will be the next strategy.

The seceshers are waiting in the wings for the gop to capitulate.

38
posted on 09/21/2013 12:40:26 PM PDT
by RKBA Democrat
(Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)

Federal employees and the military wont get paid. Where it gets interesting is when he gets to decide if the social security recipients get paid or not or if the ghetto rats get their EBT cards plussed up or not

There are precedents and rules. There are very few consequences to a "government shutdown."

-Fed employees aren't paid, but have always been paid retroactively. -Military gets paid. -Contractors aren't paid. -SSI payments get paid, although the SSA staff might get cut, and payments delayed at some point. -Medicare is paid. -National parks closed. -Air traffic controllers are paid, and airports stay open. That's about it. A government shutdown is a good thing. In fact, it can work to our advantage, since the media hysteria will be exposed for what it is.

Retired Chief Justice William Rehnquist was once also a Supreme Court clerk and later wrote a book titled "The Supreme Court" that is fascinating reading in that it brilliantly covers Supreme Court history from the begining of our nation.

Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Sarah Palin types are our nation's best hope for the survival of our Constitution and nation.

If they were to follow the Robinson Doctrine, and fund departments piecemeal...when the Senate sent back an amended bill for a certain department, the Republicans could simply table it and send over the next one...for a different department.

It looks like a novel way to kill off a few hated departments...like "Labor" and "Education"...right off the top.

“My guesses are (a) that there will be “shutdown” and (b) that few aside from “non-essential” Federal employees will notice, despite yells and screams from the “legitimate media.”

You are correct. And that’s why we need to start talking about the debt ceiling. Unless the debt ceiling is raised, the government will not be able to increase borrowing. That means that roughly half of spending would get to stop. Butt cold. And the best part is that dear leader would have to decide who gets paid and who does not. Will he fund interest payments or social security, the military or EBT cards?

The debt ceiling will be reached in late October, early November.

46
posted on 09/21/2013 12:47:27 PM PDT
by RKBA Democrat
(Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)

“There are precedents and rules. There are very few consequences to a “government shutdown.”

I’m not talking about the continuing resolution. I’m talking about the debt ceiling. If that is not raised in late October, early November, then the government cannot borrow any more. It has to pay out of receipts. Which are a little more than half of expenditures.

Think of it like a clipping dear leaders credit card.

47
posted on 09/21/2013 12:50:55 PM PDT
by RKBA Democrat
(Power disintegrates when people withdraw their obedience and support)

Amen. And there’s a long list of federal departments, agencies and programs that can stand defunding. If the people feel any of them are really and truly needed, the individual states can take them up (per the US Constitution). The feds have no constitutional authority in labor, commerce, transportation, energy, health, education, welfare, housing, banking, insurance, free enterprise, free markets, etc, etc, etc. Again per the US Constitution, that’s all reserved to the states and the people.

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